Who Is the Best Goalie in the World?

Shannon Szabodos Celebrates during 2014 Sochi Olympics

I came across an article about the best male goalie in the NHL. The article took into account the elite level of the goalies and the significance they make to their team. This made me very curious about great goaltending and so I continued my search for the best goaltenders. I researched “Best Goalies of All Time” and goalie statistics to see what had already been written about goalies. However, I found nothing comparing the best female goaltenders. So then, the search was on!

Through my research I was very discouraged with the lack of updated and comprehensive statistics kept for Women’s Hockey. However, that’s another article.

As a Mathematician, I love data analysis and comparing teams or players by their statistics. I researched as many statistics as I could find from multiple events for these goalies. I looked for data on goalies from college teams, professional teams and games played for their country. It was difficult to compare players that are playing in the CWHL or NWHL with players who haven’t played professionally since the Olympics. Also because college and professional can be very different, in order to highlight more great goalies, I separated into 2 categories; the Professionals and the College kids.

In the end, I was surprised at how many great goalies I had to organize. Most of the top professional goalies have come to the US to play college hockey, allowing them to rise to the level of the North Americans who have dominated the Olympics and World Championships. However, fewer forwards from their countries are making the college move to the US, putting the European offenses behind.

The Professionals

#1... Noora Raty/Finland

Noora Raty began playing for the Finnish National team when she was 15. While at Minnesota she posted an incredible 1.33 Goals Against Average (GAA) over 4 years and was a Finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award twice and led the Gophers to the National Championship. In National team play she was named Best Goalie in the World Championships in back to back years. Her Olympic record, although lengthy, hasn’t been stellar. However, she has been in three Olympics and although the Olympics have been dominated by North America, Raty led Finland to a Bronze in Vancouver in 2010. Currently, Raty is playing year round in two leagues, in a Women’s league and in 2014 she became the first Finnish woman to ever play in the Men’s second league in Finland.

#2 Shannon Szabodos/Canada

Since 2006, there has been one name on the Canadian roster that has been a wall, leading Canada to Gold in 11 national tournaments. Shannon Szabados has been dominant in net, whether in the Olympics, the 4 Nations Cup, or the World Championships. Szabados has played on the Men’s side since Juniors and decided not to join the NWHL this year to continue her career in the SPHL Men’s league for the Cottonmouth Kings.

#3 Florence Schelling/Switzerland

Heading back to Europe, #3 has shown their worth at the National team level. Florence Schelling has played in 3 Olympics, 3 World Championships and had a great career in college for Northeastern. Schelling was named MVP and Best Goaltender in the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Schelling averaged a 1.74 GAA while in goal for Northeastern. We would love to see Schelling competing in North America full time, unfortunately she is playing in Europe.

#4 Jessie Vetter/USA

Jessie Vetter has been USA’s answer to the Canadians. Starting in college with the Wisconsin Badgers, Vetter proved to be the best in the nation, leading the Badgers to 2 national championships and winning the Patty Kazmaier award. Vetter also set records for wins and most goalie shutouts (later topped by Raty). Vetter has led the Americans to 5 Golds in World Championship play. She has seen action with the Minnesota Whitecaps and shutout Canada 3-0 in 4 Nations Cup in 2015.

#5 Charline Labonte/CWHL Les Canadiennes

Charline Labonte has been part of the Canadian national team since 2001, she got 2 wins in the 2014 Olympics and is leading her first place Les Canadiennes in the CWHL. Labonte has a long history of greatness and at 33, is still the best goalie in the CWHL. Splitting time with Szabados for most of the last decade has been the main reason Team Canada has been on top of the Hockey world for so long.

#6 Genevieve Lacasse/CWHL Boston Blades

Another one of those great Canadian goalies is #6 on the list, Genevieve Lacasse. Lacasse has been in net for all 21 losses this year for her team, the Boston Blades. However, she may be the only thing keeping the Blades on the ice this year. Lacasse has stopped an average of 46.7 shots on goal this year. Lacasse would be a starter for every other national team, unfortunately she has had to compete with the best in the world to find time in net for the Canadian National Team. While at Providence College, Lacasse set career records for wins, saves, and shutouts. She has had a great professional career as well, winning CWHL Goaltender of the Year in 2012-2013 and posting the best GAA in 2014-2015.

#7 Alex Rigsby/USA

Next on the list is Alex Rigsby. Rigsby followed Vetter at Wisconsin and broke her career win record with 100 wins. Rigsby and Vetter have helped the Americans compete with the Canadians of late. Rigsby and Vetter led the US to 2 World Championship Gold Medals and a Silver medal in Sochi. Like Vetter, Rigsby also chose not to play in the newly formed NWHL to take the year to train for the National team. Rigsby did sign on to play with the Minnesota Whitecaps, but time has been short at this point.

#8 Brittany Ott/NWHL Boston Pride

#8 and 9 are a pair of NWHL goalies who had great college careers and are following it up with top of the line goaltending at the professional level. Brittany Ott improved her GAA in college from 2.60 to 2.49 to 2.34 for a mid-level Maine Black Bears team. Since college Ott played 2 seasons for the Boston Blades in the CWHL, where she was the first Rookie Goalie to start in a Clarkson Cup Final. Ott split time with Lacasse during her time in the CWHL, but since her move to the Boston Pride of the NWHL she has not split time and she has been the best goalie in the league, leading the Pride with a 1.87 GAA.

#9 Brianne McLaughlin/NWHL Buffalo Beauts

Brianne McLaughlin had a record setting career for Robert Morris University. McLaughlin set record for career saves with 3,809. McLaughlin has not had the same support as Ott from her team this year, but has made some amazing saves to keep the Buffalo Beauts close. McLaughlin was a member of the 2010 and the 2014 Silver Medal Olympic team as well as multiple World Championships and 4 Nations Cups.

#10 Erica Howe/CWHL Brampton Thunder

Erica Howe I think may be the most underrated on the list. Howe had a great career at Clarkson, where she led the Golden Knights to the 2014 National Championship, becoming the first team not in Minnesota or Wisconsin to win the National Title. Howe has moved into the CWHL for the Brampton Thunder and has a mediocre 2.52 GAA, but the defensive support has been shaky in front of her this year. When facing the likes of Marie-Philip Poulin, Natalie Spooner and Elana Lovell, a weak defense spells trouble for any goalie. Howe has been a part of Gold Medal teams with the U18 team in 2010 and also was in goal for the recent 4 Nations Cup.

Full List

1. Raty, Noora FINLAND

2. Szabados, Shannon CANADA

3. Schelling, Florence SWITZERLAND

4. Jessie Vetter USA

5. Labonte, Charline Les Canadiennes (CWHL)

6. Lacasse, Genevieve Boston Blades (CWHL)

7. Rigsby, Alex USA

8. Ott, Brittany Boston Pride (NWHL)

9. McLaughlin, Brianne Buffalo Beauts (NWHL)

10. Howe, Erica Brampton Thunder (CWHL)

11. Raisanen, Meeri FINLAND

12. Leonoff, Jaimie Connecticut Whale (NWHL)

13. Fujimoto, Nana NY Riveters (NWHL)

14. Wallner, Valentina SWEDEN

15. Brian, Delayne Calgary Inferno (NWHL)

The Up and Coming College Goalies

...#1 Ann-Renee Desbiens/Wisconsin

One of those that Howe will have to share with is the Best Goalie in the NCAA, Ann-Renee Desbiens. Desbiens has been a star for the Wisconsin Badgers over the past 3 years. With GAA barely over 1 her first 2 seasons, she is currently holding a .66 GAA this season for the 30-1-1 Badgers. This season Desbiens set the NCAA record for 9 consecutive shutouts. She also leads the nation in Save Percentage and shutouts. In the 2015 World Championships she shut out Finland in the semifinal, then came in in relief in the finals loss to the US. Desbiens showed that she is can play with the best in that tournament as she competed with 6 of the Professionals on our Top 15 list.

#2 Katie Burt/ Boston College

Katie Burt is only a Sophomore, but has led her Boston College Eagles to a 32-0-0 record. As a Freshman Burt posted a 1.02 GAA and led the Eagles to the Frozen Four. Burt also led Team USA in the U18 Worlds in 2015 to a Gold Medal giving up just 4 goals in 4 games. There is only upside to Burt and if the Eagles can continue to score goals, the Eagles could be in a couple more Frozen Fours in the coming years.

#3 Shea Tiley/Clarkson University

In the 2014 U18 World Championships Burt and the Americans finished with the Silver, mainly due to #3 on the list Shea Tiley. Tiley allowed just 1 goal in 3 games leading the Canadians to the Gold Medal. Also a Sophomore, Tiley led Clarkson to the Regional Finals last year before losing to Boston College. Tiley has a 1.36 GAA this year and has Clarkson 5th in the nation.

#4 Amanda Leveille/University of Minnesota

Taking over at the University of Minnesota for the World’s Best Goaltender Noora Raty is no easy task, however Amanda Leveille has filled those shoes perfectly. Leveille, another Canadian goalie, was MVP of the 2011 U18 National Championship that she led her team to victory. At Minnesota Amanda has a 90-8-5 record over her 4 seasons and was in net for the Gophers as they won the 2015 National Championship. She has 7 shutouts currently and a 1.33 GAA, her highest of her career. However, Leveille and the Gophers are ready to make another run at another national title.

#5 Emerance Maschmeyer/Harvard University

Emerance Maschmeyer is about to move on to the Professional leagues. Maschmeyer was drafted in the first NWHL draft by the Boston Pride and will have to work to take time away from Brittany Ott who has proven to be a great goalie this season. Maschmeyer came on to the scene with her 2012 U18 World Championships performance. Emerance posted 2 shutouts in 3 games, including the 3-0 Finals win over the US. Her GAA has averaged between 1.3 and 1.75 over her 4 year career for Harvard. Last year, Maschmeyer led Harvard to the National Championship game before falling to Minnesota.

#6 Melissa Black/Union College

Melissa Black and the Union Dutchwomen have yet to tally a win on the season. However, the Freshman became the first Freshman in 3 years with 1,000 saves. Black has stopped 50+ shots on 3 different occasions. With a solid backstop in net, Union must recruit scoring to complement Black’s ability. With 6 ties and 6 one goal losses, Union and Black are not far off from being competitive.

#7 Sydney Rossman/Quinnipiac University

#7 has been the best “Junior rookie” goalie of the year. Sydney Rossman had to wait behind Chelsea Laden to get her chance, but this year she has proven to be a great goaltender for the Quinnipiac Bobcats. Rossman has been awesome this year with 13 shutouts and a 24-2-5 record. Quinnipiac is leading the ECAC, mainly in part to Rossman. Rossman would most certainly be higher on the list if she could have seen more time in her first two years as a Bobcat.

#8 Brittni Mowat/ Bemidji State

Brittni Mowat has grown with her Bemidji State team from a 10-18-4 team to a 20-9-2 team just 2 years later. Mowat has decreased her GAA from 2.45 to 1.62 over the same time period. Last season Mowat was named a First Team All-American as she led her Beavers to the WCHA Final. Mowat has been on Team Canada’s radar as well, last year she was invited to the team’s strength and conditioning camp.

#9 Kimberly Newell/Princeton University

Kimberly Newell of Princeton is not just smart, she’s very talented too. Newell helped lead Team Canada to a Gold Medal in 2013. Newell, now a senior, has been great for Princeton this year, with a 1.52 GAA and a 16-5-1 record. Newells .946 save percentage is currently third best in the nation.

#10 Brittany Bugalski/Northeastern University

Our #10 is another up and coming American goalie and Northeastern Freshman, Brittany Bugalski. Bugalski had a shutout in her starting appearance in the 2015 U18 World Championships. Bugalski has netminded for the Huskies to an 18-5-1 record, including 3 losses to undefeated Boston College. As a Freshman, Bugalski has 3 shutouts and has stopped 30+ shots 6 times.

Full List

1. Desbiens, Ann-Renee Wisconsin

2. Burt, Katie BC

3. Tiley, Shea Clarkson

4. Leveille, Amanda Minnesota

5. Maschmeyer, Emerance Harvard

6. Black, Melissa Union

7. Rossman, Sydney Quinnipiac

8. Mowat, Brittni Bemidji St.

9. Newell, Kimberly Princeton

10. Bugalski, Brittany Northeastern

11. Selander, Lovisa RPI